Instantly

How to spell instantly

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce instantly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does instantly mean?

1. adverbAt once, without any delay or pause.

Instantly in a sentence

• The new software recognised her face and instantly unlocked the laptop.

• Adding hot water makes the powder dissolve almost instantly.

Where does instantly come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin instans, the present participle of instare, which literally meant 'to stand upon' or 'to be at hand', built from in- 'upon' and stare 'to stand'. In Latin instans came to describe something pressing or imminent, a moment standing right before you, and that is how it gave English the noun 'instant' for a precise point in time. The word arrived through Old French in the late medieval period, and the adverb 'instantly' was formed in English by adding the familiar -ly suffix. Interestingly, an older sense of 'instantly' meant 'urgently' or 'pressingly', reflecting that original idea of something standing close at hand, before it settled into its modern meaning of 'immediately'. The same stare 'to stand' root underlies a large family of relatives such as 'stable', 'constant' and 'substance', which is a useful reminder that the spelling keeps the -stant- core intact.

How the word is built

• in- (in, upon)
• stant (from stare: to stand)
• -ly (adverb suffix)